


Default Programming

by Mimitanuki



Category: DCU (Comics), Red Robin (Comics), Teen Titans (Comics)
Genre: Established Relationship, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Written for Timkon Week
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-29
Updated: 2015-10-29
Packaged: 2018-04-28 19:39:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,698
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5103257
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mimitanuki/pseuds/Mimitanuki
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Wayne Industries has a server failure, Tim learns a new thing about Kon... Only for his boyfriend that's not such a good thing.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Default Programming

It wasn’t the first time Kon had seen Tim yelling angrily at people; contrary to popular belief his best friend slash boyfriend was a very temperamental man. It just seemed that each time Tim talked to people he mellowed out a bunch, and people kept thinking he was a meek person. Especially his brothers, they seemed to think he was some kind of porcelain doll that needed care. But maybe that was just how older brothers behaved, Kon wasn’t sure.

Well, they hadn’t seen him running Wayne Industries.

His boyfriend was still wearing his business suit, and even though he was seething, running around and asking what the hell was wrong with the servers, Kon managed to get a nice look on how well that kind of clothes fit Tim. It was all sleek lines and cuts, and his mind started to wander to much more interesting scenarios involving desks.

He was so immersed in his own delusions he didn’t notice Tim staring down at him with a half amused face. He looked tired, very tired, and Kon made room for him in the small sofa he was currently occupying. The other boy slumped next to him, sighing and pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Rough day?” asked Kon, sympathetically. Tim snorted.

“How can you tell?” he said, his tone somehow biting. He sighed again. “Damn servers have gone AWOL. We lost lots of data, and it seems it’ll take a lot of time to recover even just the critical files.”

Kon winced. “Sucks” he said. Then he tried to be the kind and understanding boyfriend that would let his super busy partner work and finish his job. “Do you want to take the rain check for our date…?”

Tim made a face and immediately snapped his head. “Hell no” he said, almost desperate. “We haven’t had one in weeks, and God knows when we’ll have the chance again” he said.

Kon laughed a little, relieved. “Well, we still see each other in Titans business, right?” he said, trying to be optimistic.

The other boy just shook his head. “Not the same” he sighed again, looking worn out. Kon wanted to take some of that weight of his shoulders, but he didn’t know what he could… Wait. Servers? Data? Maybe he could actually do something.

He shook his head, a wave of unease coursing though him. He didn’t want to use _that_ , but if it helped Tim…

“Hey” he said, hoping he wasn’t making a mistake. “Do you think I can take a look at those servers of yours?”

 

The technician was staring at the screen with his mouth and eyes wide open. He reviewed the files once, twice, even three times, and each time it was the same. All the data, all contacts, informs, contracts, inventory, everything… It was there. They had recovered every single thing they had lost and desperately trying to recover for the whole day, in less than two hours.

“Well, Mr. Wayne” he said licking his lips, turning around to look at his young boss. “Seems all right to me. Your… erm, boyfriend here… well, he just reprogrammed the whole server, recovered our lost data and made backup copies of all of them.”

“You should always have backup copies” said the boyfriend, meekly glancing at Mr. Wayne.

The technician tried not to think of them being together.“Right” he said, instead. “We did. We lost them too, you know. So thanks for rebooting our systems with more speed than a super computer, I guess.”

The boyfriend –man, but he really looked kind of nerdy with those glasses, even though he was buffed up like a football player- winced a little.

“Thanks, I guess” he said.

Mr. Wayne pushed his way between them, eyes focused and sharp. “So you’re telling me we recovered everything?” he said, dumbfounded. The technician nodded.

“Yes, sir. As I said, he kind of took apart everything and put it back together in less than two hours” he mumbled. And next, very softly so no one but himself could hear, “I could have done that if I had two weeks. Man, _two freaking hours_ , what a monster.”

He didn’t see Mr. Wayne’s ‘special friend’ pale and jerk back as if he had been stabbed with a rusty knife. He just went on with his life and tried not to think of what had Mr. Wayne said when he tugged the nerdy quarterback back to his office, saying “Let me show you my gratitude, Mr. Kent.”

God, he was going to have some very awkward nightmares.

 

“God, I could kiss you” said Tim, and then he seemed to realize that he was actually entitled to do just that, and he hungrily went for it. Conner laughed breathlessly, and tried to keep them upright with his TTK, to avoid messing Tim’s desk. He actually kind of wanted to make that mess, but he supposed that since they had just solved the problem with the servers, his boyfriend wouldn’t think it would be fun to throw his papers to the floor.

“Seriously, though” said Tim, once they had both had enough of that kiss. He was grinning, and he made a show of taking of his necktie and opening a few buttons of his shirt. “How in the world did you do that?”

“It was nothing” said Kon. “Just read a book about programming, it wasn’t hard.”

“What the hell are you saying? I have a MIT graduate in charge of the servers and you swept the floor with him” said Tim, frowning amusedly.

Kon smiled and shrugged, laughing a bit too hysterically. “Well, just… I guess I had a moment of inspiration. Everybody had them right?” he said, quickly and avoiding Tim’s eyes.

The other instantly noticed something was wrong. “Conner” he said, dead serious. “What is it?”

“Tim…” said Kon, and his voice was strained. He seemed ready to ask his boyfriend to let it go, but a hard look made him wince and drop his gaze.

He almost jumped out of his skin when Tim took his hand between his. “I want to know what’s eating you, Kon” he said, and Superboy sighed. He knew it was only fair, so he breathed deeply to steady himself.

“Since… that time. With the Outsiders, when I went berserker” he whispered, barely audible.

Tim froze. He couldn’t mean…

Conner saw his expression and he made frowned with apprehension. “See? That’s exactly it. That face is the reason I hate this… whatever thing he did with my brain!” gritted the other boy, angry and bitter, tearing his eyes away from Tim.

“Kon…” said the other boy, feeling helpless.

“Before Luthor toyed with my mind? I could barely solve a freaking equation. And suddenly I wake up with full knowledge on programming, quantum physics and advanced engineering. The formulas and schemes just pop in my head, like a damn computer! Just… just thinking it’s there, because he… because he wanted them there… because he wanted me to be his son!”

Tim licked his lips, with little success. His mouth was dry. He didn’t know what to say to his best friend. Kon just shook his head, an anguished expression in his face, and nervously carded his hair.

“I… I hate it” he continued. “I hate I have so much of him in me. I try to be different, telling myself I’m fine, that I have friends that will stop me from going bad. But this… this I can’t help. It’s already inside my brain, inside my damn genes!” he was screaming, and Tim made a face, hating how much Kon was putting himself down.

Superboy was breathing heavily, and in the end he let out a defeated and half broken sigh. “I… I can’t change that. I can’t change that in the end, I’m still half Luthor. And that terrifies me” he whispered, and then felt silent.

After a couple of seconds, Tim put a hand on his shoulder, reassuring, and Kon grabbed it with his own, seeking its warmth. “Hey” said Tim, softly, as softly as he could, with as much love as he could pour in his words. “If we’re going by that line of logic, your other half is hundred percent Superman” he said, trying to get Conner to look at him. “And that’s what really matters, at the end of the day.”

His friend scoffed. “Yeah, well, kryptonian powers or not it doesn’t change…”

“I didn’t mean the powers” interrupted Tim. “I meant the man under the suit. You’re brave, and selfless. You care about everyone, and you’re constantly trying to be better. That’s not Luthor. That’s Clark.”

Kon was staring at him, a mixture of skepticism and hope obvious in his face. Tim decided it was the right approach, and continued to push him in that direction. “And you know what else?” he said, and smiled a little when Kon shook his head a little. “That you’re not a damn half carbon copy of each of them. You’re your own man. You can be a stubborn, childish jerk, and that’s Conner Kent trademark.”

A rueful laugh, almost as if he felt guilty for being amused. That was a good sign.

“I didn’t fall in love with you because of who gave his DNA to make you. I fell in love with my best friend, my cute, brave Superboy. Who has proved once and again that he’s a better man than he gives himself credit for” he whispered, pressing his lips against Kon, against his mouth, in a very chaste kiss.

Kon made a pained noise, and raised his hands to surround the shorter boy’s hips. “Tim… Tim, God you don’t… I love you” he said, voice awed. “I love you so much” he repeated, and then he laughed.

Tim grinned. “Yeah, I know” he said. He pulled Kon closer, putting his arms around his shoulders, pressing their bodies together, until the other boy could feel Tim’s heartbeat through their clothes.

It was steady and strong, like the one who was embracing him, and Conner nuzzled closer to the one person that made him better just by staying at his side.


End file.
